Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto

For the Diocese of Sokoto in the Church of Nigeria, see Anglican Province of Kaduna.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto (Latin: Sokotoën(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Sokoto in the ecclesiastical province of Kaduna in Nigeria. Its territory includes the states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Katsina.

Diocese of Sokoto Dioecesis Sokotoensis
Location
Country	Nigeria
Territory	Nigerian states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina
Ecclesiastical province	Kaduna
Metropolitan	Archbishop of Kaduna
Coordinates	13°03′39″N 5°14′20″E
Statistics
Area	109,507 km2 (42,281 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2004) 12,251,910 60,554 (0.5%)
Parishes	17
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	16 June 1964
Cathedral	Holy Family Cathedral, Sokoto
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah
Map
The Diocese of Sokoto includes all of Sokoto State (shown here in red) as well as portions of neighboring states of Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina.
Website
[1]

History

• June 29, 1953: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Sokoto from the Apostolic Prefecture of Kaduna
• June 16, 1964: Promoted as Diocese of Sokoto

Special churches

The Cathedral is Holy Family Cathedral in Sokoto.

Bishops

• Prefect Apostolic of Sokoto (Roman rite)
  • Father Edward Thaddeus Lawton, O.P. (1954.01.15 – 1964.06.16 see below)
• Bishops of Sokoto (Roman rite)
  • Bishop Edward Thaddeus Lawton, O.P. (see above 1964.06.16 – 1966.12.19)
  • Bishop Michael James Dempsey, O.P. (1967.07.13 – 1984.12.03)
  • Bishop Kevin Joseph Aje (1984.12.03 – 2011.06.10)
  • Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah (since 2011.06.10)

Coadjutor bishop

• Kevin Joseph Aje (1982-1984)

Persecution

Situated in the North of Nigeria, in a Muslim-majority atmosphere, there have been incidents of persecution in Sokoto against Christians and Catholics in particular. In May 2022, following the lynching of Deborah Yakubu, there was violence against other Christian sites, according to a statement released by the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. "During the protest, groups of youths led by some adults in the background attacked the Holy Family Catholic Cathedral at Bello Way, destroying church glass windows, those of the Bishop Lawton Secretariat, and vandalized a community bus parked within the premises. St. Kevin’s Catholic Church was also attacked and partly burnt; windows of the new hospital complex under construction, in the same premises, were shattered. The hoodlums also attacked the Bakhita Centre […], burning down a bus within the premises.”

In 2022 two Catholic priests were kidnapped, and later released, in the diocese. Their names are Fr Stephen Ojapah and Fr. Oliver Okpara.

See also

• Roman Catholicism in Nigeria

Sources

• GCatholic.org Information
• Catholic Hierarchy
• Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association page about Sokoto Diocese Archived 2019-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
• Dominican Sisters in Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria